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Milne calls for crackdown on rural crime

More must be done to drive down the level of agriculture crime here, Sinn Féin MLA Ian Milne has said.

The Mid Ulster Assembly member was speaking following the latest report showing that rural crime cost £2.5 million across the North last year. "Although there has been a substantial 15% drop in rural crime on the previous year, there can be no room for complacency as this is a phenomenon which is on the increase in other regions,” Ian Milne said. "The report from NFU Mutual also makes clear that the costs to individual farms are huge given the increasing expense of farming equipment. “This is in turn feeding a growing fear of crime within the farming community and the fact that many farmers are resorting to costly security measures in order to try and protect their properties. "The farming community and the agriculture economy play a central role in our society and the PSNI need to ensure that every possible measure is taken to ensure they are adequately protected." ENDS/CRIOCH